When I was a kid growing up in Summit Hill, my friends and I spent many summer days swimming, splashing and showing off at the Lansford Pool.

Those days were almost ritualistic. Right after lunch, I would put my bathing suit into a towel and roll it into a ball for compact transporting. One or two of my friends and I would meet at a predetermined location and walk to the “bumming corner” atop Route 902.

That’s right. Our parents didn’t transport us; we “bummed” a ride. We later found out the correct word for what we were doing is “hitchhiking.”

In those days, no one thought it was dangerous. This is the way we moved around the four Panther Valley communities, even beyond to Tamaqua, Lehighton or Palmerton.

In fact, after the 7 p.m. movie at the Palace Theatre in Lansford, more than 40 or 50 of us who lived in my community lined up at the “bumming” corner at the bottom of the hill, and virtually every car headed toward Summit Hill stopped to pick up two or three of us. In a matter of 10 to 15 minutes, the corner was empty.

In going to the pool when we did “bum” a ride, we never had the audacity to check with the motorist first to find out where he or she was going. If we were lucky, the driver was headed toward Coaldale and dropped us off near the pool, but those headed to Nesquehoning or going shopping in Lansford dropped us off at the bottom of the hill or in the business district, and we walked to the pool, which was about a mile away.

I rented a locker to change into my swimsuit. As I recall, it cost a dime in the late-40s and early ’50s, and I was always worried about losing the small metal tag that had the key and number of my locker. I was paranoid about making sure the button of the little pocket on my swim trunks was secure so I didn’t have to go diving to the pool’s bottom to find my lost locker key as I did on one occasion.

We always tried to enter the pool with a splash, a way to announce that the Summit Hill kids had arrived. I would take a running start, jump as far as I could, yell “Geronimo!” as I grabbed my knees and hoped I wouldn’t accidentally land on an unsuspecting swimmer. Sometimes a lifeguard would blow his whistle and give me a verbal warning to “knock it off.”

There were always other friends at the pool, which on many days was extremely crowded. In my early teenage years, when I had started to acquire an interest in girls, the pool was the perfect magnet to meet them, strike up a conversation and, in some cases this would lead to hanging out together, usually in groups of six or more.

“Going steady” was not a big thing then. If I had my eye on a girl, I pursued her within her and my groups of friends. At the pool, she and I were together but always as part of the larger group which was nearby.

Fast forward to today - about 65 years later - and I am sorry that the pool has been closed for the last five years. But there is good news. The pool is expected to open for the 2021 season, assuming, of course, that the COVID-19 pandemic is under control by then.

Congratulations and thanks to all of those who have taken on the effort to save the pool - from the Friends of the Lansford Pool, a group that has raised substantial funds through many fundraisers, the most recent of which was Aug. 23, to members of the Panther Valley Junior-Senior High School National Honor Society, which has taken on the project to paint and otherwise help beautify the pool and its surroundings, to the many donors to this worthy cause.

In addition to local funds, the state has authorized a $35,000 grant, which was set to expire this year but has been extended until 2021.

The Friends group’s vision is to make “the new and improved Lansford swimming pool more amazing than when we were growing up and creating great memories for the next generation.”

Lansford Borough Council, which has supported these efforts, had hoped to give the green light to reopening the pool this year, but the pandemic and the ongoing repairs made this impossible.

The pool was closed in 2015 when a serious leak was found that was causing about 30 gallons of water a minute to be lost. Fixing the leak has proven to be a difficult chore, but a local plumbing firm will start on the repairs by September. Then the pool must be cleaned, drained and tested. Renovations, such as the major painting project - the first since 1981 - are being undertaken as money and manpower become available.

The pool is more than just a swimming area; it is a source of community pride that has been in existence for about three-quarters of a century. It was originally built in the 1940s by the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co., which was such a pervasive part of the area’s history.

As I did, several generations of youngsters spent memorable summers at the Lansford Pool. I urge you to support this effort to restore the pool to its former grandeur. You, too, can make a splash by donating to this important areawide cause. You can send your donation to: Friends of the Lansford Pool, P.O. Box 131, Lansford, PA 18232.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com